Bebo founder to launch online video dictionary

by Jacquie Bowser, Brand Republic 08-Sep-08, 11:00

LONDON - Michael Birch, the founder of social networking site Bebo.com, is planning to launch an online video dictionary, called Wordia.com, which will compete against sites such as Wikipedia and Dictionary.com.

Wordia.com will feature traditional word definitions, etymologies, quotations and pronunciations, as well professional and user-generated video content, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph.

Birch is launching Wordia.com, which is set to go live on September 18, with television producer Edward Baker.

The website is Birch's first new venture after selling Bebo to AOL for £420m in March this year.

Google also launched an online information service in July this year to rival sites such as Wikipedia. The service, called Knol, is written by people with particular areas of expertise and includes named bylines, which differs from Wikipedia, where contributors remain anonymous.